Apparatus for producing lightweight aggregates



J. B. DUBE June 16, 1953 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 23, 1950 h A 2. ant; l

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Z-D WHO OuImDRU NOD80 JOHN B. DUBE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY J. B. DU BE June 16, 1953 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATES Original Filed Aug 23, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 m E. mm. M I

J. B. DUBE June 16, 1953 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 riginal Filed Aug. 25, 1950 JOHN B. DUBE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1953 'ARPARATUSFOR U G-LIGHT- "WEIGHT AGGREGATES John B. \Dube, Dallas, "Tex.

Original application August 23., 1950, Serial No. 181,036. Divided and this application July "5, 1951, Serial No. 235,313

6 Claims.

inertness to acids, their good insulating, fire resistant and absorbingproperties, and their imperviousne ss to termite or other insect attacks. It is desirable, therefore, that a method and means be provided which will efli'ciently process argillaoeous, siliceous, volcanic; material to form lightweight aggregates. The lightweight aggregates formed by the expansion of the treated. material are in the form of granules which are vesicular in structure having manyvoids, some of which extend to the outer surfaces of the. granules. It is; desirable. to seal the voids or openings comm n cating: with thesurface of the granules in order to lessen the absorption of Water by the granules; of: the lightweight-.aggre-- sa weight ,agg i-eg-ates leadsv tov the; following advan--- tages;

The absorption of water-bythe lightweightrag gregatefrom the mix; in, the: formation; of? concretes is decreased; the mix: therefore requiring."

iwhless -t Theslump oi; the: concrete mix madewith the" aggregate is decreased; 1

The degree, of; expansion and contraction of" the: setoncrete n adeawith the aggregate "is de creased The .;,weight;of the.;;set concrete made with the re te si cr as d;

The compressiveiand transversive strength of deredvlesssusceptibleto damage due to'freezing andthawing; thusiincreasingthedurability of the concrete and Sealingor-the voids of granules of'light The concrete in'ix is made more \i/cnkable"since the cement employed in the mix is permitted to spread quickly and to come into closer contact with the whole surfaces of thegranules andthe formation of dry spots in the mix is rendered less likely since the absorption of Water by the voids in the granules is prevented. Y

Accordingly, it is an object of my invent-ionto provide a new and improved method and means for producing lightweight aggregates.

It is another object of my invention toldrovide a new and improved method and means for prgducing lightweight aggregates by heatingarginaceous, siliceous, volcanic or other materials I It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved means ror producing lightweight aggregates formed of granules of vsicu lar structure whosevoids or openings are sealed,

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved method and means for continuous processing" of materials to produce lightweight aggregates'. W p 7 It is another; object of my invention to provide a new and improved rotary kiln. A v} Itis still another object of my invention to provide a new and improved kiln for heating materials to' produce aggregates formed of vesic ular granules, to dust the granules with a ce mentitious' material while the granules are at;

their greatest degree of expansion, and to spray the dusted granules with water or' steam toset or. harden the: cementitiousrhaterial sealing the voids.

Briefly stated, my new" and improvedmeans fonproducin'g lightweight aggregates comprises an: inclined cylindrical-shell mounted for rotary movementabout its cen't'ral axis. The interior of the shell is provided with aplurality-of helical risersz which serve to cascade the treated mate} rial during itspassagefromthe upper intak end of: the shellto th'e'lower dis-charge endof the shell. The upper-seotion-of the" shell is lined With heat insulating material which "is immediately adjacent a seotion of the shell which is provided with screens through which fine Imatetermediate the-incipient and complete vitrifiea' thereby forming 'my'riad "voids in "th 'gra'nu'le's or the mass. Positioned between menses and the screen section of the shell is a dust blower while immediately below the screened section is positioned a water sprayer. Pipes are positioned within the shell to provide gas and oxygen or air to the flame gun, dust or power to blower and water to the spray, said pipes being stationarily mounted in the rotatable shell.

The new and improved method of treating raw material to produce lightweight aggregates comprises heating the raw material to a temperature intermediate the incipient and complete vitrification temperatures of the material, to form vesicular granules blowing a dust of cementitious material on the vesicular materials, spraying the dusted granules with water or steam, and continuously cascading the material throughout the above steps of treatment.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure l is a side elevational view of my new and improved rotary kiln;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary kiln showing some of its associated structures;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of one of the jets of the flame gun; a

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line 9-9 of Figure 4; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the kiln showing an abrasion shield at the terminus of the insulated section of the kiln.

Referring now to the drawing, the rotary kiln ID of my invention comprises a cylindrical shell H which is supported in an elevated inclined position on stands l2 and I3 which may be of concrete. Outer bearing cases l4 and I5 are secured to stands l2 and I3, respectively by 7 means of bolts it while inner bearing cases H and 8 are rigidly secured to shell adjacent its upper and lower ends respectively. A plurality of roller bearings l9 and 29 are secured between inner and outer cases I4 and I1, and I5 and l8, respectively, and rotatably support shell I! on stands l2 and I3. A ring gear 2| is rigidly secured about shell intermediate its ends and is in mesh with a pinion gear 22 driven by a motor 230. which is mounted on a stand 24. Motor 23a imparts rotary movement to shell through gears 2| and 22.

A plurality of riser plates 23 are secured to the inner surface of shell H by means of lugs 24. Lugs 24 may be rigidly secured to shell I! by welding as may be secured riser plates 23 to lugs 24. Riser plates 23 extend longitudinally through shell H in a spiral or helical fashion, are parallel to each other, and extend inwardly from the inner wall surface of shell H.

In order to prevent the wearing away of the refractory and insulating liner of the kiln by passage of the material off the end thereof, an annular shield 24a embraces the terminus of the liner (Fig. 10).

The upper portion of shell comprising the sections A, B, C and D is insulated to prevent the passage of heat to the outside of shell II. The insulation comprises a layer 25 of plastic insulating material which is rammed into place against the inner surface of shell between riser plates 23. A second layer 26 of refractory and insulating material is disposed on layer 24 between riser plates 23 and is in turn covered by a relatively thin layer 27 of graphite which is employed to prevent rapid wear of the refractory material 26 due to the abrasive action of the material passing through shell Portions of shell between riser plates 23 are removed and the openings are covered by screens 28 which may be secured to shell H by welding or in any other conventional manner. The screen section E of shell provided with screens 28 is enclosed by a housing 29 having a discharge spout 30. Housing 29 and spout 30 may be supported'by a stand 3|, shell being rotatable in housing 29. The sections E, F and G of shell II are devoid of any insulation.

A plurality of brace rings 32 are disposed in longitudinally spaced relationship in shell H and are secured to shell H by means of braces 33 which are secured to shell [I and brace rings 32 by welding or other conventional means. Disposed within, and supported by, brace rings 32 are stationary disks 34 which are apertured to receive and support water or steam conduit 35, dust conduit 36, fuel conduit 31, and oxygen or air conduit 38.

Water or steam conduit 36 extends between a water pump 39 and a water or steam sprayer 49 disposed in section F of shell ll. Dust conduit 36 extends between a dust blower 4|, supplied with dust material from bin 42, and a dust sprayer 43 disposed in section D. Fuel conduit 31 may conduct a fuel in the form of gas or a gas pressure booster or pump 44 and a flame gun 45 disposed in section 0 of shell H. Oxygen or air conduit 38 may be connected to any suitable source of oxygen or air under pressure to supply oxygen to flame gun 45.

Water sprayer comprises a transverse conduit secured to and communicating with water conduit 35 and a pair of longitudinally extending conduits 47 and 48 connected with transverse conduit 45. Conduits 4'! and 48 are provided with a plurality of spray heads 49. Two or more water sprayers 40 may be connected to water conduit 35.

Dust sprayer 4| comprises an arcuated conduit 50 secured to and communicating with dust conduit 36 and three longitudinally extending conduits 5|, 52 and 53 connected to arcuated conduit 50. A plurality of spray heads 54 are connected to each of the conduits 5| 52 and 53. Two or more dust sprayers 4| may be connected to dust conduit 36.

Flame gun 45 comprises an arcuated transversely extending conduit 55 secured to and communicating with fuel conduit 31 and a plurality of longitudinally extending conduits 56 connected to arcuated conduit 55. Each of the conduits 55 is provided with a plurality of jets 51, each having a member 5711 provided with a threaded upper end 58 which engages in a suitable threaded opening in its associated conduit 55. The fuel, i. e., gas, flows from each conduit 56 through narrow aperture 58 in each member 51a to an enlarged mixing chamber 59. upper apertures 60 also communicate with mixing chamber 59. Air 01' oxygen is drawn in A plurality of member 5 m:- The harrel-B2 -is provided-with a plurality 30f apertures- 64 --through which air or -oxygen' is drawn to miX' with themi iture of'gas .and air or oxygen "flowing-from mixing cham- 1be1'59; .151: 1; V

: In -operation;the'inaterial to-' be'- treated such ars-crushed shale, clay, vermiculite or other matcrial-islifted by a conveyor into a-binjfifi pro- 'vided wi'th a spout 6-1.- Spout-6! I gtends into the upper'end-of shell H and the'raw material is controlled as it passes into section A ot shell I H. She11 H is rotatedcontinuo'uslybymotor As: the raw material"moves-iurtherdownthe shell -H to sectionB; it-is'heated still more and moisture of: constitution- 4 within the granules "of raw-material is driven oiis At the same timethe temperature of -the raw materiali's continually raised-as it approaches --section- C;- --J ust before the raw material enters secti'on"C, -itstemperatureis raisedby the heat absorbed by'fth'e raw material to the point where' 'the raw material approaches='- the explosive, expansive or plastic stage; .eGasses formihg "with-in the granules "of the heated raW-"m'ateri-al wilrexpan'd the granules due to the pyro-chemicalreactiongenerated by the racfiant energy of the flame. if

"With the rotating -kiln of cylinders 'set'at 'a predetermined angle ofrepo'se on the piers, the risers-'23 byvirtue-oftheir helical course throughout the kiln, cascade the material andfacc'elerate the travel of the mass throughout the length of the: kiln.- Depending riponthe -'arigle at'wl'iich' the risers 2-3 are"set';-'and--thespace between the said risers thematerial being processed will, first; be cascaded atan angle in the direction in-W'hich' the mass'is travelling, thus materiallyincreasing the :speed' of the A mass coursing down the k" nto'thedischaige'end'.-

"Second, the space-be'tWeenthe risers 23vvil1 determine tlie riumber of times the entiremass, in thekiln will beeipos'ed togthepyroi-fci' eni i reaction of radiant energy, These egtpQWl'QS can be two, *three' or fo1ir tinies per "minute; "s d the revelation oi the "kiln be] one f per i Should "the" 'eed frevolutiofl be incr asefdltl ej mute r,

abrasion.

81 the kiln, and thereby causes damage due to Fifthf'the use ofris'rs"23"further eliminates th 'fo'rmation pf a i g, in. the hoi'uzone of the lrifh'iffihies'e rings'arefformed y the siidin giidtin oi the plastic niasspn'the rerracgo ieslj" Ito the;softf'plasticjconditionof the mass'fthe slidin -down Of h'e" heavy mass causes a, portion for "the plasticmaterialfto adhere to thejring'fornied en therefra'ctories of the h'ot'z'ope. To clear these rings, stoppageof work are necessary/there- Yby ca' ising much time. lost and reatl added e1;- p'e s'e po -preduction,

j ilith the increase of production and a uniform product with thejsavingof ,gas and electricity, the" profits of operation vvill be unquestionably in favor of mynew unit of fabrication'of lightweight aggregates f jl' Whenjthepreheatedmaterial enters i'n'tosectidnC, it cascades directly into the radiant-energy created by flame, produced by flame IgunJE. Jets 5? arejso arranged that the flame produced by each'j et 5'| blends withthe flames produced its immediately,"adjoining jets 51. to'v produce .a wanr flame throughflwhichthe preheated materialcascading offriserlplates 23 musttravel.

The radiant energy developed by the, flamers blasted against the 'g'ranulanmaterial and such radiantfenergy that does not come. into contact wtihfthe' granules of the mass rebounds from the refractory lining of the shelfand is carried towards the feed end of the kiln to preheat'the cascaded material entering the' "kiln. It will be noted that'arcuated} conduit '55'isjco'ncentric with the cuivatureloi she'llpl'lf and, extends upwardly in' the direction of rotation ofshelljl "so'that the preheated material must travel through the wall of flam'eas' it cascades downwardly. "Asthe preheated materialtravels throughthe flame, its temper'a'tureis raised suddenly to make'interr rriediateiits incipient andcoiiiplete vitrification speed o'f'themasstravelwfll liliwis' be increased;

and thereby addi n'gto production.

"Third; the ca cading" action the "liiissi 'titii I its' manyexpesures ta the radiant energy causes, a positively uniform fi-nished product. f To the present day, the production of a uniform product is --a-lmost impossible *due to" the "travelling massdown the kiln-withoutthe useof risers.

-Fourth,-the use of *risers 23 "completely elimi nates-=the rising action of the masstoithe'angle of repose in the kiln an'd'the'n "suddenly causes the mass to slide down on the refractory linir'iig" temperature's'and a pyrorchemical reaction takes place in the granuleswhich greatly expandsthe volume otjeach, granule. Gases formed in the granules duringthis pyro-chemical reaction seek an outlet and greatly expand the volume of the new plastic'granules andcaus'e .the granules to havea vesicular structure, some of'the gas pockets communicating with the outer surfaces o i tliie grari ulesg As has been implied, not all of the heatgei'ierated by'the flame gun 45 is,'ab-; material through section sorbed] by the. 0;

{,Th sectio Xpanded plates 23. a

The'expanded g ran'ules then pass into section v E u'lh'eieithe yeryijne granules and the excess d st drops-"through the screens 28 into the bot toinof housing 29*and fall'tlifrough into a hopper 68' positioned beldtv spout '30 Thelarge'r'granules which ap'friot ran' through" screens EB'passinto section- F in which arelocated water or steam sprayers 46. The water or steam sprayers are so positioned that the expanded granules are exposed to a very fine water or steam ascade of}? riser plates 'gr'a'nulespass from section 0 to "D"'yv he re,a cementitious dust is blown on Q theeixpanded granules by clu?s't Sprayers 43. "f The cernentitious dust sjeals the i'oids, or. openings 1 ed granules Whenfthe voids are at. their 'greatest degreeof expansion so. that when. he eenest-9 1mm, th se w llb i ded i h thatthefdustis blown on the expanded granules 'as tlifey 'cascade'ofi riser 23. the cementitious dust which has been deposited The water or steam spray sets or hardens in the surface voids of the expanded granules in section D. Screens 28 are employed before the water spraying of the expanded and dusted granules in order to prevent the agglomeration of granules which would take place due to the binding action of the excess dust if it were previously sprayed with water.

The expanded granules begin to cool as soon as they pass into section D and continue to cool as they pass through sections E, F and G. Sections E, F, and G have not been provided with insulating material in order that heat may be transferred from the expanded granules to the atmosphere through the metal shell I I by conduction. In section G, therefore, the expanded granules are further cooled before passing out of shell I I.

It will be noted that throughout its passage through shell H, the treated material has been continuously cascaded by the action of riser plates 23. This cascading action insures that all granules be exposed to the heat in the preheat ing sections A and B, to the flame in section C, and to the dust and the water or steam in sections D and F. The cooling off process in sections D, E, F and G and the screening process in Section E is also facilitated by the cascading action.

The speed at which the treated material travels through shell I I depends on the speed of rotation of shell II and the number, spacing, and twist of riser plates 23. It can be seen that by varying any one of the above factors, the speed of travel of the treated material may be controlled.

Shell I I is made of a heat resistant material. Riser plates 23 and flame gun 45 are made of especially highly heat resistant material since they are raised to very high temperatures. The temperature to which the treated material must be heated to obtain the desired expansion of the granules varies with the type of raw material employed. The temperature can be controlled by controlling the amount of fuel, gas, supplied to flame gun 45.

l After passing through shell II, the expanded granules drop onto a course screen 69. The

larger granules cannot pass through screen 69 P and therefore descend on a chute Iii to a bin II. The granules that drop through screen 69 fall on a screen I2 positioned below screen 69. Medium sized granules cannot pass through screen I2 and descend on a chute I3 to a bin I4. The fine granules and any remaining dust fall through screen I2 into a bin 15. Screens 69 and 79 and bins 68, ll, I4 and I5 are supported above the ground by any conventional studs or supports so that the expanded granules may be delivered. directly from the bins into trucks or other transporting means.

While I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment and example of my invention, it will be obvious that changes and modifications can be made without departing from my invention and I, therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes or modification as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A rotary kiln comprising: an inclined rotary cylinder having at least its upper end open; a lining of heat insulating material within and secured to said cylinder extending from the upper end of said cylinder to a point intermediate said upper andlower ends; a plurality of spirally arranged risers extending inwardly of said lining within said cylinder and from the upper ends to the lower end of the cylinder and secured to said cylinder; a burner disposed within said cylinder for heating a section of said cylinder lying intermediate said upper end and said point; a dust sprayer disposed immediately adjacent to said burner within said cylinder intermediate said heated section and said lower end; and a water sprayer disposed within said cylinder between said dust sprayer and said lower end.

2. A rotary kiln comprising: an inclined rotary cylinder having an open upper end; a lining of heat insulating material within and secured to said cylinder extending from the upper end of said cylinder to a point intermediate said upper and lower ends; a plurality of spirally arranged risers extending inwardly of said lining within said cylinder and secured to said cylinder; a burner disposed within said cylinder for heating a section of said cylinder lying intermediate said upper end and said point; a dust sprayer in juxtaposition with said burner and disposed within said cylinder intermediate said heated section and said lower end; a water sprayer disposed within said cylinder between said dust sprayer and said lower end, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of openings between said risers and between said dust and water sprayers; and screen means covering each of said openings.

3. A rotary kiln comprising an inclined r0- tary cylinder having an open upper end for receiving a granular material and open lower end for discharging said granular material; a lining of heat insulating material within and secured to said cylinder extending from said upper end to a point intermediate said ends; a plurality of spirally arranged risers extending inwardly of said lining within said cylinder and secured to said cylinder for cascading said granular ma-- terial as said cylinder rotates; a burner disposed within said cylinder for heating a section of said cylinder lying intermediate said upper end and said point and heating said granular material cascading through said heating section to a temperature intermediate its incipient and complete vitrification temperatures, and expanding the granules of said granular material, excess heat generated by said burner passing to a section intermediate said heating section and said upper end to preheat granular material cascading toward said heating section; a dust sprayer in juxtaposition with said burner and disposed within said cylinder intermediate said lower end and said heating section for filling surface voids of the cascading expanded granules with a cementitious material; and a water sprayer disposed within said cylinder between said dust sprayer and said lower end for treating the eascading expanded and dusted granules with water to set said cementitious material in said voids.

4. A rotary kiln comprising an inclined rotarycylinder having an open upper end for receiving a granular material and open lower end for discharging said granular material; a lining of heat insulating material within and secured to said cylinder extending from said upper end to a point intermediate said ends; a plurality of spirally arranged risers extending inwardly of said lining within said cylinder and secured to said cylinder for cascading said granular material as said cylinder rotates; a burner disposed within said cylinder for heating a section of said cylinder lying intermediate said upper end and said point and heating said granular material cascading through said heating section to a temperature intermediate its incipient and complete vitrification temperatures, and expanding the granules of said granular material, excess heat generated by said burner passing to a section intermediate said heating section and said upper end to preheat granular material cascading and traveling toward said heating section; a dust sprayer disposed immediately adjacent to said burner within said cylinder intermediate said lower end and said heating section for filling surface voids of the cascading expanded granules with a cementitious material; a water sprayer disposed within said cylinder between said dust sprayer and said lower end for treating the cascading, expanded and dusted granules with water to set said cementitious material in said surface voids, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of open ings between said risers and between said dust and water sprayers; and screen means covering each of said openings adapted to remove excess dust and fine granules from the cascading material passing toward said water sprayer.

5. A rotary kiln comprising an inclined rotary cylinder having an open upper end for receiving a granular material and open lower end for discharging said granular material; a lining of heat insulating material within and secured to the inner wall surface of said cylinder extending from said upper end to a point intermediate said ends; a plurality of spirally arranged risers extending inwardly of said lining within said cylinder and secured to said cylinder inner wall surface for cascading said granular material as said cylinder rotates; a flame gun disposed within said cylinder for heating a section of said cylinder lying intermediate said upper end and said point, said flame gun producing a wall of flame in the path of the cascading granular material for heating the cascading granular material to a temperature intermediate its incipient and complete vitrification temperatures and expanding the granules of said granular material; a dust sprayer disposed immediately adjacent to said burner within said cylinder between said lower end and said heating section for filling surface voids of said granules cascaded by said risers with cementitious dust; and a water sprayer disposed within said cylinder between 14) said dust sprayer and said lower end for treating the cascading expanded and dusted granules with water to set said cementitious material in said surface voids.

6. A rotary kiln comprising an inclined rotary cylinder having an open upper end for receiving a granular material and open'lower end for discharging said granular material; a lining of heat insulating material within and secured to said cylinder extending from said upper end to a point intermediate said ends; a plurality of spirally arranged risers extending inwardly of said lining within said cylinder and secured to said cylinder for cascading said granular material as said cylinder rotates; a flame gun disposed within said cylinder for heating a section of said cylinder lying intermediate said upper end and said point, said flame gun producing a wall of flame in the path of the cascading granular material for heating the cascading granular material to a temperature intermediate its incipient and complete vitrification temperatures and expanding the granules of said granular material; a dust sprayer in juxtaposition with said burner and disposed between the lower end of said cylinder and said heating section adapted to fill surface voids of said granules with a cementitious material; a water sprayer disposed within said cylinder between said dust sprayer and said lower end for treating the cascading, expanded and dusted granules with water to set said cementitious material in said surface voids, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of openingsbetween said risers and between said dust and water sprayers; and screen means covering each of said openings removing excess dust and fine granules from the cascading material passing toward said water sprayer.

JOHN B. DUBE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,866,203 Foilliet et a1 July 5, 1932 1,892,271 Hart Dec. 27, 1932 2,052,329 Wendeborn Aug. 25, 1936 2,501,962 Pierce Mar. 28, 1950 2,543,898 DeVaney Mar. 5, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 406,530 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1934 

